Pearce, Kachru Named All-Americans

Mar 24, 2009

March 24, 2009

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -
Based on his performance at the NCAA Championships held at Penn State this past weekend, Captain Michael Pearce was named as a second-team All-American. In competition against the best fencers from around the nation, Pearce finished eighth among all epeeists. This marks the second time in his four years fencing for Yale that Pearce has been named to the All-America team.

Pearce qualified for the NCAA Championship based on his performance throughout the season and his results from the Regional Championship. At the NCAA Championships, Pearce compiled a 14-9 record for a .609 winning percentage. This record was only one victory shy from earning him a spot among the top four epeeists, who advance from pool play to 15-touch elimination bouts to determine the first, second and third place finishers. Pearce's fifth-best record was matched by five other fencers, and their ranking was then determined by their respective indicators -- a statistic which measures touches scored minus touches received. Pearce's 95 touches scored and 92 touches received -- good for an indicator of +3 -- earned him eighth place in the competition and a spot on the All-America second team.

Said Pearce of his performance, "Personally, this was an exceptional way to end my collegiate fencing career. It was amazing to bring home hardware my last year especially because I took top eight my freshman year but haven't done so since. It was a great bookend to an amazing collegiate career."

Freshman Shiv Kachru also turned in an exceptionally good performance at the NCAA Championships. He posted a 12-10 record and a .545 winning percentage. Though these results put him in a tie with Brown's Adam Pantel for the 10th-best record, Kachru's +10 indicator was good enough to earn him 10th place and an Honorable Mention for the All-America team.

Kachru was quick to give credit to his teammates, team manager Andrew Holbrook and fellow foilist John Gurrieri, "I was very happy with my individual performance. Even though I lost many bouts by one touch, I would not have done so well if it were not for the help of Andrew and John."

"Shiv did really well, placing the highest on our team for a freshman since the 2006 season," noted Pearce. "Although he had some heartbreaking losses, he is motivated and ready for next season."

Pearce has ended his outstanding Yale fencing career on a high note. Moreover, the two standout performances are indicative of the strides forward that Yale Fencing has made this season, and Kachru's achievement is especially encouraging for the future of the program.